We're off to our closing, and then four joyous days of transferring the contents of this house to the new one. Forecast: Rain, rain, thunderstorms, more rain. Hurricane Emily doesn't look like she's going to throw us a house-warming party, though, so I'm fine with the non-property-destroying precipitation.
I won't be posting for a bit, and I don't know when I'll be back. The phone people are being a pain about getting our new lines installed, and I can't hook this thing up to my cell.
While I'm gone, some discussions to check out:
John Rickards is looking for some books that show description by inference versus descriptive info dump. If you've got some good recs, post them here.
Alison Kent's AK Bookclub is talking about Michele Albert's One Way Out this month. I've already posted my thoughts on the book, which is a fun read and really moves.
Jim Winter has a guest blogger named The Master in this week; a Brit married to an American who gets a lot of marriage proposals from Wal-Mart cashiers. He's a bit like David Niven on mescaline; check him out.
Monica Jackson, Shannon Stacey and Jordan Summers have more to say about supporters of the RWA censorship campaign, and it's definitely my fault. I apologize in advance to anyone else upon whom my linkage inflicts a migraine. I couldn't let it pass, either.
Stuart MacBride is heading out for the Harrogate crime festival in a few days, and is interested in, among other things, who else is attending.
When I get back, I'd like to start some discussions about the business of writing and selling books. If there's any particular topic under that general category you'd like to see, let me know in comments.
See you later.
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PBW, I recently read an article about Janet Evanovich, who basically said that selling books is all about taking up as much "real estate" in the stores as possible, which means writing across genres. Since you write in multiple genres too, I'd love to hear your take on this when you return.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the move!
Hope the move goes as smoothly as possible. Practice good lifting techniques.
ReplyDeleteRight now, my biggest conflict with writing and selling books is how to balance all the aspects of the business with my life and day job. So much to do with marketing and promotion on top of writing -- so little time to do it!
Lori great point. Something I know I and my CP's (at least one of them *g*) have thought a lot about.
ReplyDeletePBW good luck with the move!!!!!!!! May all go smoothly and nothing break or get rained on!
Good luck on your move and the start of a new adventure. Marie
ReplyDeletePS Thank you - as the books arrived yesterday from your giveway. Can't wait to start reading!! Thanks!!!
There are thousands of authors who have had to do their own marketing. Should I ever get published, I would like to save myself, and those others interested, time and money in the marketing departemnt by not trudging down paths where the investment isn't worth the return.
ReplyDeleteSpecifically, what methods work and what methods don't work for marketing your novel, or, by order of increasing effectiveness, what methods have you used to market your novels?
In your discussions with your published cronies, what are the similarities and differences in the effectiveness of their marketing efforts when compared to yours?
What methods have other published authors reported to you as successful that you haven't tried yet?
How helpful were your publishers in marketing your novels?
What promises did your publishers make to you regarding the marketing of your novels and how many of those promises did they keep?
Should I get an agent before circulating my first novel to editors/publishers?
What's your take on online critique groups and/or critique groups in general?
Assuming you had a day job, how long after you first became published did you quit your day job?
If you haven't already done so, if you could only give us one bit of advice about the business of writing and selling books, what would that be?
Thanks in advance.
Enjoy your move. Though I know it can feel like a pain at times, it's really a fun adventure...even in the rain :D.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the business of selling books, I read something somewhere (and no I can't remember where) that said you should establish yourself in a genre with 3-5 books before adding a new genre. Looking at your publication dates, I kind of figure you didn't follow that model. My question is: what do you think of the idea and maybe both what happened in your case with the romance and SF (I know StarDoc was your first, but the Gena Hales followed soon after.) and if you'd change anything given the chance to start again?
Cheers,
Margaret
P.S. Thanks for the fun notes in the Jessica Halls I won. I keep finding more as I delve further :D.
Hope the move goes without a hitch.
ReplyDeleteThat article had my eyes popping out of my head. I couldn't believe what I was reading. It was like a bunch of scared cockroaches running for the darkness. That's the impression I got of all the EC and erotica/romantica bashing.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the move!!
Sure, go hide now that you've caused all the trouble. ;-) Good luck with the move. Remember to bend from the knees. I second Lori D.'s and Ellen's suggestions for topics. Actually, they all sound interesting.
ReplyDeleteI've moved in the middle of a Texas heat wave and also moved in the rain. The rain is the better bargain. Hope all goes smoothly.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the move, PBW! I'm looking forward to the discussions, when you get back.:)
ReplyDeleteThe discussion I would like to read most is about conflict. I never seem to have enough of it in my stories and when I brainstorm for ways to increase the conflict I find myself saying, "That would so never happen."
ReplyDeleteMy current solution is to just keep writing and know i'll figure it out eventually. But i'm hoping a little advice might help.
I hope your move goes well. I always end up buying large furniture in the rain, maybe it is good luck.
Good luck with the move-- enjoy your new house!
ReplyDeleteHope the move goes nicely!
ReplyDeleteAnything you'd be willing to divulge about writing/publishing in multiple genres would be appreciated. I have so many questions about what to do and not to do, and most things I've read don't cover multiple genres, for some reason.